Parc Jean-Drapeau brings back electric scooters to reduce car use

Starting this month, people will once again be able to use electric scooters at Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau.

Bird Canada said it will gradually make 200 of its e-scooters available on the park's bike paths between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. until November 15.

Employees will be on-site to make sure users follow the rules and keep the scooters in good condition, Bird Canada said in a news release. Helmets will be mandatory.

The e-scooters had been allowed in some Montreal boroughs as part of a pilot project in 2019, but the city banned shared, dockless e-scooters in 2020 following mass non-compliance with the rules.

But Bird Canada CEO Stewart Lyons said the 2019 incidents were blown out of proportion and all scooters are geo-located and geo-fenced, meaning they are tracked and can only be used in the park. 

"There's a brain inside the scooter, and we can actually tell where it is at all times," he said.

"We can prevent it from travelling at certain speeds, and we can also prevent it from going into certain areas."

Park officials have said they're aiming to reduce how many cars are on the island, though the park has little public transit available.

The scooters are one method of transportation they can offer to make sure there are different ways to get around, said Véronique Doucet, executive director of La Société du parc Jean-Drapeau.

"We intend to upgrade the sustainability of mobility [options] that we have on our island," Doucet said.